John,

It’s a horrible, horrible thing to live with.

A secret that’s hanging over your head all the time.

This is how *Sara, a survivor, describes the devastating criminal record that plagued her for years after she experienced trafficking.

Sara grew up in a chaotic family and was on her own by her teen years. She was also in a relationship with an abusive partner. She left him by getting a job as a dancer at a strip club. It seemed like her only way out of poverty.

At the club, a couple befriended Sara. They were kind at first but soon began isolating her. Then they manipulated her into going to a hotel room to sell sex. She saw no escape. The very first time she agreed, Sara was arrested for prostitution.

With no one to post bail and afraid of losing her job while locked up, she pleaded guilty and was convicted of a misdemeanor. Sara now had a record — and no options for having it removed.

A criminal record can keep survivors from getting jobs or housing, receiving some state and federal benefits, or even coaching their children’s sports teams.

Sara remembers:

After the conviction, all doors seemed to close to me. Anything involving a potential background check was loaded with stress and anxiety.

Like Sara, the vast majority of trafficking survivors report having a criminal record as a result of being trafficked — a dark cloud relentlessly following them.

Yet Sara persevered. She worked her way through college with honors and landed a corporate job that didn’t ask about lifetime convictions.

Still, the dark cloud followed her for many years, until legal options opened in Florida where the trafficking occurred. She met an attorney who could help. After 20 years and six months, her record was finally vacated.

After my conviction was vacated, I never thought about it again.

It shouldn’t take 20 years and six months to become fully free! And those with federal criminal records don’t even have that chance. It’s long past time to create a path for federally criminalized trafficking survivors to be able to clear their records. They deserve to move on with their lives.

You and I must ACT on our deep commitment to justice:

That’s why Polaris is supporting the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. It’s a good first step toward giving federally criminalized survivors a real shot at freedom.

Your voice can help survivors like Sara: Contact your representatives today. Ask them to reintroduce and support this legislation.

P.S. With just a click and a few moments of your time, you can stand with survivors today. Urge your members of Congress to support the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. 

*Sara is a pseudonym protecting the privacy of the survivor sharing her story with you.